| Summary : Later Bronze, Iron Age and early Roman occupation at Cadbury Castle. Excavations between 1966 and 1970 identified a number of pits and quantity of objects of late Bronze Age date, the latter including spearheads, socketed knives and part of a gold bracelet. Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age activity appears to have been unenclosed, with enclosure and the long sequence of rampart development beginning early in the Iron Age (see ST 62 NW 1 for an overview of the site's history and a description of the earthworks). Iron Age occupation evidence includes four and six post structures and round houses. A porched rectangular building has been tentatively identified as a shrine. Occupation appears to have come to a temporary end early in the Roman period, the excavator suggesting that finds and inhumations near the southwestern gate pointed to a massacre. |
More information : Alcock's excavations at Cadbury 1996-70 resulted in the first recovery of material definitely attributable to the later Bronze Age from the site. Artefacts spanning the period from the Neolithic down to the later 2nd millennium BC are scarce, the most notable being a miniature 'Arreton' style flanged axe. Few structures are definitely attributed to the later Bronze Age in the interim reports that have appeared so far. Many of those which have been assigned such a date are pits. A length of ditch originally thought to have been Neolithic on the basis of its red clay fill contained some ox bones in its lowest silts which have yielded a C14 determination of 925+/-90 bc.
Artefacts of Bronze Age date consist primarily of pottery and metalwork. The former appears to consist mainly of post-Deverel-Rimbury wares, while the latter includes part of a gold bracelet, complete and fragmentary spearheads, socketed knives, and various fragmentary and broken objects. A full inventory has been published by Pearce (7). Alcock speculates that they may represent a dispersed hoard.
The interim reports appear to draw a clear line between the late Bronze Age occupation and the subsequent Iron Age use of the hillfort, although it seems highly likely that occupation was continuous. The late Bronze Age and the initial Iron Age phases are believed to have been unenclosed, with enclosure and the long sequence of rampart building and extension beginning early in the Iron Age, and continuing at intervals throughout. Occupation evidence consists of numerous post holes and trenches representing four- and six-post structures as well as round houses. Inevitably, numerous pits were also encountered, some containing objects that had clearly been deliberately placed rather than casually discarded, such as horse and cattle skulls. One of the most notable features is a porched rectangular building associated primarily with late Iron Age and Roman artefacts, mainly pottery, interpreted as a shrine. Some animal burials were also found within its immediate vicinity. Artefact categories include abundant pottery plus metalwork, both bronze and iron, the latter including a late Iron Age hoard which featured, among other items, an axe, a saw blade, sickles and a currency bar. Late Iron Age coins were primarily Durotrigan types, almost all of them silver.
Occupation is suggested to have ended with a massacre of the occupants by the Romans, the evidence primarily consisting of the remains of numerous individuals buried near the south-western gate, accompanied by a quantity of weapons, brooches etc. However, the presence of pottery and metalwork in reasonable quantities dateable to the early decades of the Roman occupation of Britain suggested to Alcock that this massacre occurred in the 70s rather than the 40s AD. See ST 62 NW 1 for a general overview of Cadbury and information on other periods. (1-7) |